The present invention relates to a slatted bed system and more particularly to a selectively articulated slatted bed system individually tailored or customized for the body weight distribution of an individual.
Articulating beds are well known and are widely used in hospitals and as loungers. Examples of such systems include the Mann U.S. Pat. No. 3,216,026 dated Nov. 9, 1965; the Holm U.S. Pat. No. 3,278,952 dated Oct. 18, 1966; the Swatt U.S. Pat. No. 3,644,946 dated Feb. 29, 1972; the Ferro U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,296 dated June 20, 1978; and the Zur U.S. Pat. No. 4,258,445 dated Mar. 31, 1981. The known prior art systems such as represented by the aforementioned patents generally contain two or more power actuators for the articulation of three or more sections of the bed. In such systems, the power unit is generally complex, and the comfort for the patient is the function of the quality of the mattress placed thereon. Such beds may be customized to a particular individual only by the exchange of one mattress for another, and mattresses generally do not vary over the length thereof as does the body weight distribution of individuals.
Slatted bed systems are also known and are shown, for example, in the Degen U.S. Pat. No. 3,067,438 dated Dec. 11, 1962 and the Sproll U.S. Pat. No. 3,553,745 dated Jan. 12, 1971. Such known slatted bed systems are generally planer with the exception of an articulating head portion. The position of the slats is not generally adjustable and comfort variations may be made only by adjusting the position of supports underlying the downwardly concave slats to limit the flexing thereof. In this way, the "hardness" of the bed system may be adjusted, but no adjustment can be made for variations in body weight distribution.
It is also known to sculpture the underside of a mattress support along the hinge lines of an articulating bed to facilitate the bending of the mattress, the comfort for the individual residing in the selected articulation of the frame and mattress support system as a single unit and the quality of the mattress. Such sculptured mattress supports are shown, for example, in the Propst U.S. Pat. No. 3,780,387 dated Dec. 25, 1973.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a bed system which obviates many of the deficiencies of the known prior art bed systems and to provide a bed system which may be easily tailored to the body weight distribution of a particular individual.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a slatted bed system which is simple in construction and contained in an enclosure to provide a finished appearance.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel slatted bed system in which the mattress may be sculptured to facilitate conformity to the bed system when articulated.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a novel slatted bed system in which all of the force generated in the articulation of the bed system is reacted in a compact central power unit.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a novel slatted bed system in which the number spacing and spring rate of the slats may be selectively varied to modify the support characteristics of the bed system.
These and other objects and advantages will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains from a reading of the claims and the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment in conjunction with the appended drawings.